


In the Right (but you don't care)

by Child_Of_Wonderland



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo (Shadowhunters/The Mortal Instruments) [20]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Agony Rune, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Hurt Alec, Hurt Alec Lightwood, M/M, Protective Magnus Bane, Worried Magnus Bane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21640210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Child_Of_Wonderland/pseuds/Child_Of_Wonderland
Summary: Alec should be use to threats against the Downworld Cabinet, after all nothing ever comes of them. Another threat swept under the rug ends with Alec being left at the hands of a potential circle member.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo (Shadowhunters/The Mortal Instruments) [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415710
Comments: 5
Kudos: 192





	In the Right (but you don't care)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back!! Sorry I was gone for so long, my mental health hasn't been in the best place recently but I'm getting better! I adopted an adorable little puppy named Minnie so I've been working with her as well (past couple weeks). But I'm actually really excited to be back! Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Prompt: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Alec wasn’t entirely sure how the Clave would react to the Downworld Cabinet meetings in New York. He obviously knew that they wouldn’t be happy but he wasn’t sure if they would really do anything against him or if they would just verbally disapprove. He knew it was the right thing to do, the downworlders had a right to know what was going on just as much as any other shadowhunter and if the Clave wasn’t going to do anything, then Alec would have to make sure that at least the downworld in New York knew what was happening. It wasn’t easy to get the downworlders to believe that he wanted to help them but Magnus and Luke were both able to help convince the majority that Alec was truly here to help. The first few meetings went off without a hitch and with everything that had been happening in the shadow world, most shadowhunters thought it would be a one-off thing. But with every new meeting, Alec could practically feel the discontent grow as he continued to meet with the downworld. Most of the shadowhunter’s in New York just shrugged it off and ignored it, only really Raj and his friends cared about it so Alec was able to ignore it. When Clave officials arrived, however, Alec couldn’t help but feel panic seize his heart at the looks he was being given as they passed his office. Alec presses against his eyes and sighs, trying to push away the thoughts of how the Clave would react.

“Mr. Lightwood?” A voice cuts through the silence in Alec’s office and he looks up, meeting the eyes of Ashton Pangborn. Ashton was one of the newest recruits for the Clave and there had been talk of him having previously been with Valentine, sneaking information out but nothing had come of the rumors.

“Mr. Pangborn, please.” Alec welcomes kindly, gesturing to the seat across from his desk as he slides the tablet into a desk drawer beside him, “I hope your stay at the Institute is going well.” Alec forces his voice to stay level and a flicker of anger crosses Pangborn’s face as he joins Alec in the office, leaning his elbows on his knees as soon as he sits. Alec squares his shoulders and takes a steadying breath, not breaking the silence.

“So, I was wondering if I could talk to you about your Downworlder Cabinet?” Pangborn starts and Alec tenses, clasping his hands together tightly before nodding for the other shadowhunter to continue, “What’s the point? You’re going to ruin everything that us shadowhunters have worked for.” Ashton has an angry look in his eyes and he’s glaring at Alec as if the Lightwood would just melt into the floor.

“The downworlders have just as much right to what is truly going on in our world just as much as we do. It could and most likely will affect them directly, they have every right to know the things that could change the way they live.” Alec explains calmly before rising to his feet, “If you’re just here to let me know you don’t approve or something, please leave. I’m doing what I think is right to help not only us but also everyone else in the shadow world.” The archer starts to walk towards the door when Pangborn’s arm shoots out and wraps his hand around Alec’s wrist, squeezing hard enough to leave a mark.

“It’s not what’s best for us Mr. Lightwood. You don’t know what is good for us. Stop your meetings or we’ll be forced to take extreme measures.” Pangborn threatens and gives Alec a harsh shove for good measure before leaving the office without another word. Alec’s left standing there, holding his wrist loosely in his other hand and blinks in shock. Pangborn is already halfway down the corridor by the time Alec registers that he not only threatened Alec but it could also have been a threat against the entire downworlder council. He runs a tired hand through his hair before returning to his desk, debating if canceling the meeting tonight would be a good idea or not. He settles for dialing Magnus’s number first and talking it out with him. Maybe, if he was lucky, Magnus would be able to help him figure out what to do and how to deal with the possibility of a threat against everyone.

“Hello darling!” Magnus’s cheery voice comes through the speaker and Alec almost immediately relaxes. He can practically see Magnus sitting in the loft, flipping through some obscure magic textbook with Chairman Meow curled up beside him and just the thought sends a pang of longing through Alec. 

“Hi Magnus.” Alec answers softly, looking up to make sure his door is closed before continuing on, “I was wondering if I could get some help with something?” Magnus hums, encouraging Alec to continue without really saying anything. 

“The Clave’s sent some people to check out different Institutes, the delegate that came here is named Ashton Pangborn.” Alec starts and absentmindedly starts to draw out runes on the slick wood of his desk, “He’s proceeded to make some threats against not only me but also the downworlder cabinet in general.” Alec pauses, trying to think of what would be the best way to explain the way Pangborn is and why Alec is actually taking this threat seriously.

“Okay? That’s never stopped us from meeting before?” Magnus questions and Alec can hear the ruffling of pages stop, the only sound coming from the other end now is just Magnus’s soft breathing as he waits for Alec to continue.

“Normally it wouldn’t but there’s a lot of rumors that Pangborn is working with Valentine. But he’s also extremely anti-downworld and he has practically made it his job to consistently beat the downworld down whenever he can.” Alec explains and pauses to suck in a much needed breath of air, “He’s been suspected in multiple downworlder kills, including some rather powerful warlocks and vampires.” Magnus hums again before the flickering of paper resumes and a comfortable silence falls over the two of them. 

“Let me guess, the Clave doesn’t want to believe that one of their own could do something like this.” Magnus huffs in annoyance and Alec can see the eye roll perfectly in his mind as he hums in agreement.

“Exactly. We could always postpone the meeting until he leaves, I don’t want to put any of you at risk. Especially not by a Clave official.” Alec sighs and runs a hand through his already messy hair before dropping it back onto his desk. He reaches for the stele that he had left lying out and flicks it between his fingers as he waits for Magnus to answer.

“Let him try my dear.” Magnus decides and Alec nods despite that Magnus can’t see him, “Come over once you’re leaving tonight?” Alec agrees and the two talk for a few more minutes before exchanging goodbyes and return back to their previous work.

***

By the time the meeting was over, Alec was eager to finally be able to get home and sleep the day away. The meeting had gone off without a hitch and now, Alec was trying to pack away the files he needed quickly so he could head home. 

“Mr. Lightwood.” Pangborn knocks on the door and invites himself in, shutting the door tightly behind him, “I told you not to continue the Downworld Cabinet. By disrespecting my direct order, you’re not only disrespecting the Clave but also all shadowhunters in general. The downworld is out to destroy us and you’re helping them.” Pangborn’s voice is steady but Alec can hear the fury that is barely concealed and stands tall when Pangborn gets closer to him. A hand collides with his shoulder before he can react and he’s being pushed back into the wall beside a window. He hits the wall with a surprising thud and levels Pangborn with a steady, determined look.

“Please take your hand off of me.” Alec declares, keeping his eyes trained on Pangborn’s face and the shadowhunter rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Alec doesn’t know exactly what Pangborn is playing at but the way he is staring at the other shadowhunter makes Alec a little bit nervous. 

“I told you. You disobeyed me! I’m a clave official.” Ashton explains slowly and simply, as if Alec doesn’t understand what he is trying to say, “When you disobey a direct order, you get punished.” He nods his head along with what he is saying and Alec keeps the steady, unaffected expression on his face. Before Alec can say anything back, a sharp pain explodes in his ribcage as Ashton draws back another punch. Alec bites the inside of his lip to keep from making any noise and instead moves to the side just in time, hearing the satisfying crack of his fists against the brick wall. Ashton lets out a sound that’s a mix between pain and angry. He turns on his heel, practically seething as he pushes Alec towards the ground and nails a foot straight into Alec’s stomach. Alec is in too much shock at the sudden fall to do much other than make a move to catch himself but as he moves to stop Ashton, another kick is being sent into his ribcage. Ashton kneels down beside him as soon as Alec curls in on himself, pulling up the sleeve of Alec’s shirt and drawing a quick, practiced rune against his shoulder. A scream of pure agony echoes throughout the office and Ashton smiles cruelly as he looks down at the shadowhunter, before cradling his broken hand towards his chest. A quick iratze and he flexes his fingers in relief as the pain subsides and he stands. He opens the door, looking around the hallway quickly before leaving Alec curled up in pain. He’s heaving against the floor, propped up on one arm and using his other arm to cradle his bruised ribs. Alec pulls up his sleeve, glancing at the agony rune that Ashton had used against him and tries to blink away the daze that had occurred from the rune. Magnus was undoubtedly expecting him at the loft by now. He was supposed to be home a while ago and he pushes himself off the floor, heading towards the door on weak legs.

***

Magnus is sitting on the couch when Alec stumbles through the loft, flipping through a book with Chairman curled up on an empty chair. The warlock looks up when Alec comes in and smiles brightly before realizing something is off.

“Alexander?” Magnus asks carefully, closing the book and rising to his feet to walk over towards the shadowhunter. The taller man is blinking a bit dazedly and turns to glance at the hand Magnus cups on his cheek. Magnus gently moves Alec’s hand from around his ribs, lifting up the shadowhunter’s shirt carefully and glancing at the forming bruises.

“Magnus?” Alec answers belatedly, seemingly just beginning to tune into what is going on around him. Magnus smiles kindly and nods his head, leading Alec towards the couch. He sets his hands on Alec’s shoulders and gently pushes him down onto the red couch as Magnus continues to blink dazedly at the warlock. 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Magnus broaches as he lets his magic reach out in soft, blue tendrils and cover the new bruises decorating Alec’s ribcage. Almost as soon as the magic touches him, Alec relaxes and leans his head back on the back of the couch. His eyes fall shut and he lets out a content hum before opening his eyes again, looking at Magnus. The warlock is watching him with worried eyes and Alec tries to force a smile onto his face but he knows it doesn’t look convincing. Assuming by the look on Magnus’s face, it doesn’t quite convince him either but Alec doesn’t really know what else to do.

“Pangborn was mad.” Alec chuckles to himself, not entirely sure what was funny, “He kicked me a couple times, I think it was just to basically incapacitate me before he used that rune.” Alec gestures to the agony rune that now decorates his shoulder. Magnus raises a hand and looks to Alec for permission before lifting up the sleeve of Alec’s shirt. The warlock stares at the rune for a few moments with a pained expression before turning his head to the side and dropping the sleeve.

“Darling.” Magnus starts, unsure of what else to say but before he can think of something to say, Alec is wrapping his arms around Magnus and pulls him close.

“It wasn’t my worst memory.” Alec whispers and his grip tightens around Mangus’s shoulders, “It made me see what would be my worst memory. You, Izzy, Jace, Max. All of you were gone.” His voice is a bit shaky and Magnus gently tugs the shadowhunter close. 

“I’m going to kill him. The Clave can’t deny this.” Magnus decides with an angry tone and is about to move when Alec wraps his arms around Magnus’s waist, pulling the warlock towards his chest.

“Tomorrow. Please.” Alec practically begs and Magnus nods, relaxing against Alec as he reaches for the magic book he had previously been reading. Alec is breathing softly and each breath causes Magnus to move slightly but the warlock doesn’t care much. Magnus is perfectly content to let Alec do whatever he needs if it means helping the shadowhunter. He knows that Alec will come to him whenever he is ready to talk more about what happened. Right now, Alec just needs to know that both of them are safe and Magnus would be a fool if he wouldn’t allow Alec that at the very least. 


End file.
